PHILADELPHIA — Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts mentioned “95%” of the offense being put in this offseason is new, shedding mild on the diploma of change being made beneath offensive coordinator Kellen Moore following the crew’s 1-6 slide to finish 2023.
“You get to some extent the place you’re feeling, I will be snug with this, I like this, that point comes when you’ll be able to rep it, rep it, rep it afterward, however proper now it has been plenty of new stock in — the vast majority of it, most likely 95% of it being new — and so it is simply been that course of, and it has been a enjoyable course of since you get to see what works for different folks,” Hurts mentioned.
“I believe the objective coming in was to study Kellen’s offense and to grasp it, and I believe that is been a course of, and by the tip of it, I would like it to be mine and have it in my very own method.”
Coach Nick Sirianni and Moore, who changed the fired Brian Johnson this offseason, had beforehand described the offense as a hybrid scheme that includes ideas from Sirianni’s and Moore’s earlier programs.
Hurts defined that whereas a number of the performs are related, there are modifications in particulars and duties that make even the acquainted part of the training curve.
“The X’s and O’s, the strains on the paper, they very properly could also be what they’re presupposed to be, however how I coach and the way I element these routes, how I coach the quarterback, what I would like his timing to be, the place I would like him trying, the place I would like his eyes. Are receivers studying routes or are they not studying routes? Are there alerts on this, are there checks and changes inbuilt on this or is that this one thing the quarterback has to do? That is what makes a system a system,” he mentioned.
It was clear throughout each OTA practices and the Eagles’ minicamp, which wrapped Thursday, that gamers are nonetheless adjusting to the brand new particulars. The timing between Hurts and his playmakers has been hit and miss, and the identical might be mentioned for quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee as properly.
Nonetheless, there may be some pleasure about what the offense will appear to be as soon as the gamers get it down. One noticeable change is the soar in movement performs. Philadelphia was final in pre-snap movement final season.
“I believe it’ll be nice to get a brand new type of offense,” receiver DeVonta Smith mentioned. “Let guys, not have extra freedom, however have the ability to do issues that we weren’t allowed to do [last year] — transfer guys round and issues like that.”
The Eagles’ season ended with a 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers within the wild-card spherical of the playoffs — finishing the collapse following a 10-1 begin. Johnson and the highest defensive decision-makers, Sean Desai and Matt Patricia, have been fired and changed by Moore and Vic Fangio. Acknowledging his offense had grown “stale,” Sirianni indicated he can be taking a step again from offensive duties whereas placing Moore “accountable for the offense.”
The hope is the changes will get the Eagles again to their type in 2022, after they boasted a top-five group that helped carry them to an look in Tremendous Bowl LVII.
Sirianni mentioned he’s happy with the best way Hurts is absorbing the brand new scheme.
“I believe he has completed a very nice job of actually grinding away to be a grasp on the offense and all of the issues that include it,” he mentioned.
